by Gary Levin, USA TODAY

by Gary Levin, USA TODAY

Octavia Spencer is donning detective's gloves to star in a potential remake of 1980s CBS hit Murder, She Wrote.

This time, it's reboot-happy NBC that will try a new take on the series, which starred Angela Lansbury, aired from 1984-1996 and was produced by Universal, a studio now owned by NBC. Spencer, best known for her Oscar-winning role in The Help, has appeared in supporting roles on TV, and guest-starred in this week's episode of CBS comedy Mom.

But when she reunited with NBC's entertainment chairman, she had her eye on one character, she told Deadline.com, which first reported the news.

"I've always considered myself an armchair detective and in a recent meeting with Bob Greenblatt, he asked me what type of character would be able to lure me to TV. Naturally, I said " J.B. Fletcher" meets "Columbo"â?¦ And here we are," she said.

NBC has agreed to produce a pilot episode for the series, but there's no guarantee it will land a spot on next season's schedule. And the network's track record with previous "reboots" has not been good: Knight Rider, Bionic Woman, The Munsters and this fall's Ironside -- all owned by Universal -- proved short-lived or never got off the ground. (Ironside, starring Blair Underwood in the role created by Raymond Burr, aired its last episode Wednesday).